Welcome to Mad About Art!
Mad About Art! is an enthusiastic group of art lovers run by a volunteer board. MAA! offers monthly programming featuring unique art activities in the Denver metro area. Programs include artist studio visits, private collection tours, corporate art tours, and public art tours. There are also book salons and lectures. Social activities include member parties for holidays and special events. In addition, the MAA! Travel program provides small group excursions to national and international locations several times a year. Membership is $75 per household for a calendar year.
It is time to renew your Mad About Art! 2025 membership. Programming is well underway for 2025, with events you won’t want to miss. Click the link below to complete your membership renewal, then view your cart and pay. Membership dues are $75.00 per household for 2025. You cannot sign up for events until you renew your membership. So sign up NOW!
(Note: Any new members joining 9/1/24 or later are already considered paid for 2025.)
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to Join or Renew Your Membership
(Don’t forget to view your cart and pay after you have registered.)
Looking forward to another year of exciting art adventures.
Don’t delay; renew your membership today!
HAPPENING IN OCTOBER 2025
ANNOUNCEMENT
Mad About Art! is pleased to provide monthly programs for our membership. We endeavor to have space available for everyone interested in a particular program. However, we have noticed a trend of members signing up for events and not showing or canceling at the last minute. Because some of the programs are at artists studios, space is often limited. Please do not sign up for a program until you are certain of your schedule and if you need to cancel please do so at least a week prior to the event date. Registering for a program the moment the newsletter arrives and then cancelling a day or two before prevents other members from attending. We look forward to seeing you at future programs!
Communication By Wheatpasting
Sunday, October 19, 2025, 1:00pm-3:00pm
Wheatpasting is a street art technique that uses a simple adhesive paste made from flour, sugar and water to attach thin paper posters to public walls and surfaces. It’s a popular, low-cost, and effective method for artists and advertisers to spread messages and artwork in urban environments, particularly where other forms of promotion are restricted. Wheatpasting is a direct action technique for communicating with your neighbors and redecorating your environment.
Join Mark Sink, fine-art photographer and co-founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and founder of the Big Picture Colorado, a street art project. For more information see the following:
https://www.instagram.com/the_big_picture_colo
www.gallerysink.com @marksink
Here is an old PBS story on the Big Picture.
RSVP By Wednesday, October 8, 2025
No cost to attend
Attendance Limit: 40
Location Address: On the north wall and alley of
The Temple Artist Haven
2400 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80205
Parking is tight. Please try to carpool.
Tour and Presentation at Robert Mann Rugs, Inc.
Friday, October 24, 2025, 10:00am
Join us for a tour of the Robert Mann Rug Factory, Inc. where you will get behind-the-scenes views of the textile cleaning and restoration process. Then listen to a presentation by Robert Mann on Islamic textiles, which will include the opportunity to see and touch some of the extensive collection of Islamic textiles stored there. Robert has worked in the handmade carpet industry since 1979. His initial training began as a carpet restorer, repairing and reweaving damaged Oriental, Southwestern and Navajo textiles. In 1982, he established Robert Mann Rugs, Inc. as a textile cleaning and restoration plant. For 25 years, Robert also served as a technical consultant in several major rug producing countries, including Romania, Macedonia, Turkey, Pakistan, Pakistan, India and China.
In 1990-1993, he directed the establishment of a facility in Izmir, Turkey, providing restoration services to clients in the US and Europe. This company now operates as ATC (Antique Textile Conservation, antiquetextileconservation.com) and has become a premier restoration facility for antique carpet and tapestries. Robert regularly presents at Oriental Carpet conferences and at carpet cleaning trade associations. Two of his zoom presentations are available on the website of George Washington University/Textile Museum, that address cleaning and restoration of handmade rugs.
RSVP By October 20, 2025
No cost to attend
Program limited to 30 members
Event Location: 2151 W 56th Ave., Denver, Colorado, 80221
MAA Travel Program for 2025
Washington, D.C. and its Fabulous Museums amidst Cherry Blossoms
March 30-April 6, 2025
SOLD OUT
This not-to-be-missed tour of museums throughout the Nation’s Capital will introduce participants to the plethora of institutions such as The National Gallery, the Phillips Collection, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the Hirschhorn, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of Women’s Art, the National Museum of African American Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, among others. Other venues will be added as available. You’ll experience extraordinary hotel accommodations, fine cuisine, and the lively, collegial, and witty banter of the tour’s guide, Dr. Timothy James Standring, Curator Emeritus, Denver Art Museum.
Swiss Museums, Hotels and Restaurants
October 4-15, 2025
SOLD OUT
Pack your lederhosen and Swiss-designed OnCloud sneakers for this fabulous tour of Switzerland’s scenic beauty and memorable museums in 2025 from the 4th to the 15th of October. This tour will travel through the playground of Europe by first-class Swiss passes to Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, and Geneva, as well as to little-known venues such as Saint Gall and Winterthur. You’ll experience stunningly new museums by world-class architects David Chipperfield in Zurich, Jean Nouvel in Lucerne, Mario Botta in Basel, and Renzo Piano in Bern and Riehen, luxuriate in extraordinary hotel accommodations, and dine at Switzerland’s finest restaurants. The tour’s guide, Dr. Timothy James Standring, Curator Emeritus, Denver Art, will enliven the 20 participants of this Swiss tour with lively, collegial, and witty banter.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
October 6-16: Trip to Switzerland
October 19, 1-3pm: Mark Sink visit to Wheatpasting
October 24, 10:00am: Robert Mann Rugs Inc.
November 5, 4-6 pm: Tour of Hugh Grant’s Collection
November Time/Date TBD: Legacy Building at National Western
December 7, 4-6pm: Holiday Program
January 6, 2026, 10:30am: Coors National Western
January 19, 2025: Tour of Pissarro’s Impressionism Exhibit at DAM
January 29, 5:00pm-7:30pm: Book Salon. Discussion will be lead by Timothy Standring. The book is “Disobedient” by Elizabeth Fremantle, a novel about the Italian female painter, Artemisia Gentileschi.
For any questions or concerns, please email us at maaprograms@yahoo.com.
Past Events
History of Art in Colorado 1850-2000
September 10th, 2025
MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH ART
Center For The Arts Evergreen 31880 Rocky Village Drive Evergreen, CO 80439 • 303-674-0056
Interesting exhibits and a ZOOM book club for members. The book club selections are fiction based on the art world with lively discussions which sometimes include the authors. For more information on the book club, visit evergreenarts.org/cae-book-club.
Crystal Bridges Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a37911642/alice-walton-crystal-bridges-museum-interview/
Great Art Books of 2020: https://apple.news/ADZZ5tDWJO8iZTWWX_UciZA
Google Arts and Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com
Wiki Art Visual Art Encyclopedia: www.wikiart.org
National Gallery of Art: The Art of Looking: https://www.nga.gov/calendar/gallery-talks/the-art-of-looking.html
The National Gallery of Art provides an ongoing webinar series for members. Visit www.nga.gov
The Louvre Museum offers its entire collection online at https://www.louvre.fr/en/
Kino Now: Discover the masterworks of yesterday and new films destined to be classics tomorrow. Good source for viewing films on the subject of art and artists. https://kinonow.com
As a follow-up to our visit with Skip Whitcomb, an interesting article on color theory: https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/primary-sources?fbclid=IwAR1DYkfS52gGztKPid7m3r_QdkEhRUyAm_shHxRKUsb9Ig0AF8J346SdOT
Hybrid Programming
Our hybrid model of programming which offers both in-person and online events began with Covid but has remained popular even as health concerns ease. The 2025 Events list is updated monthly and designates locations, times, and requirements. Please watch your email for any last-minute changes.
Note: In-person gatherings may require proof of vaccination. Masking policy will follow public health guidelines and/or may be required at the request of the host.
Zoom Etiquette
Zoom programs allow us to “travel” to more places and stay safe during events such as Covid 19. Going forward, we hope to benefit from some tips we have learned along the way. While we love to see you on Zoom as does the speaker, adhering to a few common courtesies helps maintain the quality of our programs. For example, once the speaker has begun a program, please remember to mute yourself if the host has not already done so. You will save us the interruptions caused by coughing, talking, etc. which temporarily bring your name up onto the screen. If you are multitasking, please also turn your video off. Scenes of cooking, answering phone calls, exercising, and sleeping are distracting, sometimes embarrassing. Respect for all involved is the goal. We appreciate your help in this endeavor.
JOIN AS A NEW MEMBER BELOW
DUES PAYMENT
Annual dues are $75.00 per household. After completing the Membership Registration form, you will receive access to make your dues payment by debit or credit card. Membership cost is $75 per household for a calendar year.
Member Registration
Membership signup form
MAA! BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2025
President: Chad Skrbina
Past President: Hanne Lichtenfels
Treasurer: Stacey Wilson
Secretary: Kate McDaniel
Membership: Patty Horsch
Programs: Carol Whitley
Communications: Terry McCullough and Robin Schaefer
Travel: Helen Shreves
Nominating: Mary Willis
Check Out Our Video and Previous Programs Page
Here you will find videos from our recent and past events – just click the red video icon.
